"Cool shoes"

Written By: Hans Appel

No examination of creating an "AWARD WINNING CULTURE" is complete without a deep dive into the world of Kindness.  

We’ve all seen acts of grand gestures from famous, wealthy people on tv and in the movies.  Oprah’s over the top antics of “You get a Car and you get a car” made for great television and reinforced her as a positive leader in the world.  People like Ellen have taken this mantle and made it a daily part of her show, with “be Kind to one another.” ​Orly Wahba created a youtube sensation with the Kindness Boomerang and Leon Logothetis’ “Kindness Diaries” on Netflix offers a wonderful perspective on the capacity for kindness by everyday folks.  And while these mega stars and movies like “Pay it Forward” inspire us, we often overlook the impact that we can have in our daily lives.

About 10 years ago, my wife Jen, (who works, as a teacher, at EMS with me) was approached by a former student.  The student was all grown up and was beginning her career as an elementary teacher. After the initial hellos and catch up, this girl began to detail a college essay that she had written about Jen.  She explained that Jen was one of the chief reasons that she was inspired to become a teacher and how much she meant to this girl. Now to be honest, this girl was quiet, got good grades, and was absolutely self-motivated.  Teachers might recognize this self-sufficient type student as the one who barely needs your help in class. As Jen started to think back about how she may have influenced this girl, the girl started to tell Jen a story about one day.  

Apparently, one day in 6th grade, the girl had shown up to school wearing new shoes that her parents had picked out for her.  They were bright and different than her usual accessories and being a middle schooler, she found herself quite nervous about what others might think.  In fact, she was so freaked out by the prospect of wearing them to school, she got into an argument with her mom, before coming to school that morning.  As she walked into Jen's classroom, she was greeted by Jen in the hallway, like any other day. Jen made a brief connection and commented on how “cool” her shoes were.  The entire interaction took literally LESS THAN 10 SECONDS. As we now know, this 10 seconds meant the world to this girl. She proudly paraded her shoes all over the school for the next few months with my wife being completely unaware of the impact she’d made with her.  And while this set off a 3-year relationship, as she attended middle school, it was this 10 second moment of kindness that made the most impact on her.  As you can imagine, there were tears, laughs, and hugs as this story was shared. If a 10 second interaction can inspire someone to pursue a life of serving others; perhaps, I didn’t fully understand this “Kindness thing” very well, at all. 

A few years ago, a friend at work mentioned how me unlocking her door always “made” her day.  What? Made her day? I just take 30 seconds to open all the office doors near mine. No big deal! I had been doing it for years and never thought anything of it.  To be honest, I started to blow off this postive feedback from her when she explained that she always has a bunch of things in her arms that she’s carrying. Not having to scramble to dig through her purse, to locate her keys, helped her to start her day in a positive less frantic way.  This surprising interaction about this small simple gesture got me thinking…..

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